Shirong's Return
by Master Shifu
Summary: Shirong returns to the Jade Palace to visit his son, Master Shifu. Has he come to stay or not learned his lesson yet? I own nothing but the story.
1. Prologue: Weary Traveler

In the cold glow of moonlight, an old red panda silently padded up the steps to the Jade Palace. The stars shone brightly overhead and he slowly made his way to the home of Grand master Shifu, the Dragon Warrior, and The Furious Five. Packed with him, was some money and food, little belongings for one who traveled so often. Dressed in a simple blue outfit and straw hat, he fingered hie one prize possession. A golden locket hung around his neck, but it was not the gold that truly meant everything to him. It was what was inside…a picture of him and his son, Master Shifu.


	2. Chapter 1: Kung Fu Reunion

Shirong, conman and father of Shifu, came up to the enterance to the Jade Palace and knocked on the door. He was not sure how his son would accept him, but he wanted to stay for a while. It had been some months since he saw his son last and now that they were at least on speaking terms, he wanted to be able to see his son more often. He reflected for a while on things he now regretted, and yet how he had somewhat redeemed himself and perhaps Shifu would allow him to stay, or the Dragon Warrior would allow him in. The panda had always had a soft heart, and though the Furious Five had been trained by a somewhat distant master. Although, according to stories, his son certainly had reason to be harsh.

He had heard that long after he had left Shifu at the Jade Palace, when he was grown up and a new master to kung fu, he had adopted a young child who was left on the doorstep to the Jade Palace. The snow leopard cub, Tai Lung, had believed Shifu when the red panda had assumed he would be the Dragon Warrior. When he was not, he had attacked the village and his father. He broke his heart and his leg. Shirong had noticed the limp the time he had come to trade a wooden sword (disguised as gold) for a night's rest and food. Shifu had tried to learn from his mistakes, but he was colder than ever. And of course, he had heard the stories of the Dragon Warrior, who had seemed to heal his heart. For that, he was greatful. He wasn't sure what he would do if he saw Tai Lung, who had hurt his son so much. Over the years, not being able to meet his son, had encouraged him to gather stories and peace together his life. After all, he was not a father many would be proud of.

He had been a thief and a liar since he was young, and although he felt sorry for the pain he caused others, he tried to only steal from those who could afford to miss it. He liked conning people though. It seemed like one big joke, although he hated conning his son. When Shifu was young, he had him help with his profession, but it became all too clear that although the boy would help him to make him happy, he himself was far from it. Before he reached teen years, Shirong had left him at the Jade Palace, unfortunately having to lie to him one last time, saying he would be back in five minutes. He had not returned. How could he give his son a life of a thief? It was not much of a life at all for a boy who clearly did not want it and had all his life ahead of him. The young red panda had shown a certain passion for kung fu, and during his spare time, had practiced and become very good at it. Shirong had even taught him some of what he knew about kung fu. He had came back some years later to see his son. He couldn't resist making sure that his son had a good life and was happy learning under Master Oogway.

After all, he had once trained under Master Oogway. When Shirong was young, he had run away from home to be a kung fu warrior. He had told his first lie to Master Oogway, saying that his parents had died. Under Master Oogway, he had learned a lot and trained well, but it soon became apparent that he could earn his living far easily by conning people. Master Oogway found both this out and the truth about his parents, and had been quietly told to reunite with his parents and stop his trickery, or to leave. He could not bear to face his parents again, so he left. Now, Master Oogway was training his son. But when he got there, he did not learn much, for Shifu would not speak to him.

His son had been a young adult and when he saw Shirong, the expression on his face had been obvious . He had not wanted anything to do with his father who had abandoned him. For a night of sleep and food at the Jade Palace, he had traded a 'gold' sword, much to the anger of his son. He did not say anything, but glared at Shirong the whole time that Master Oogway had greeted him and accepted his trade. Shifu knew that his father was a conman and he knew that the sword was not real. Later, when Master Oogway had left Shirong alone, he couldn't bear to leave empty-handed. Stealing a small golden locket and an old painting of his son, he had left in the darkness of the night. Shifu ad wanted nothing to do with him and it was all right.

He had thought of returning several more times over the years, but could not work up a reason to be there again and though Master Oogway would talk to him and still accept him, Shifu would not. Decades passed and Shirong was lonely, and aching for company. His conning took higher levels as he became cleverer in his plots and schemes, and then one of the people he conned made a bargain with him. Tong Fo, owner of the croc bandits, had captured him. When the croc bandits, who would too easily have given the game away, were out, Tong Fo madea deal with him. Shirong had long ago sold him a priceless artifact that had not existed, and he would forget the money Shirong owed him if the red panda could bring him the Dragon Warrior. Master Oogway was dead, so all he had to do was trick the simpleton into rescuing Shirong from the croc bandits, and Tong Fo would capture the panda and ransom him back to the Jade Palace. He would even give Shirong some of the money, for the Jade Palace would definitely pay for the Dragon Warrior's safety.

The red panda had done as Tong Fo asked. Although Shifu had been greatly against his staying there, he had tricked them into letting him stay and followed out the plan of pretending to be kidnapped. It had worked out for the worse though, for Po did not come to rescue him. Shifu did. He was knocked unconscious and Shirong had felt worse than he ever had before after tricking his son. When Tong Fo revealed that he would rather keep his son as a pet than ransom him to the Jade Palace, he had objected, trying to save his son, but he was no match for them alone. He had left in disgrace, abandoned his son once again, but when Po and Tigress came to rescue him, they helped him. Together, with his son, they defeated Tong Fo and the croc bandits ran away.

When they retuned to the Jade Palace, they had left each other on good terms. Shirong had hugged him, stealing his money, but promising that he would return sooner. At least that time, he was pretty sure his son would not be angry. He had told him before leaving that he had been right all those years ago, that the Jade Palace was a better home than he could have provided. Shifu was Grand Master of the jade Palace and had companions who loved him, a profession in helping people with his kung fu skills, and a home where he could live in peace. What father would not want that for his son?

Nobody answered his knock and he realized that the villagers and any other random citizen were just allowed to go in. He was surprised at the fact, especially considering his son and the rest of the inhabitants of the Jade Palace had many enemies and were probably always under the constant threat of attack. Pushing the large red wooden doors open, he asked one of the male duck attendants who was passing by, "Where is master Shifu?"

"H'he is training the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior r-right now, in fact. You may have to w-wait until they are finished," the duck stammered and then added, "M-master Shifu doesn't like it when he is interrupted…and he h-has quite a temper."

Shirong twitched his nicked ear in amusement at the duck's words. That was just like his son. Shifu must have inherited his fiery temper and cold shoulder from his mother, for she had been a fiery little creature, though her spirit was not enough to overcome her ailing health. She died young unfortunately, but the young red panda had been old enough to remember her at least. Shifu himself had given his father the nick in his ear. They had practiced kung fu when the young red panda had took a liking to it, and even handled weapons that they stole. Shifu had progressed rapidly and accidentally caught Shirong's ear in one of his training bouts. He must have learned well, for he was clearly a skilled teacher to train the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior so well.

Navigating the Jade Palace brought back the old haunts of his past and when he had trained by Master Oogway. The old tortoise had taught him much, even in only the several years he had stayed under his teachings. Finding himself outside the Training Hall, which had greatly improved in its training equipted since the many years ago when he had used it, he listened for a moment, hoping he was not interrupting his son teaching. If they were sparring, he could probably enter without annoying anyone.

Hearing the swishing of metal against metal, Shirong quietly opened the door. He did not want to cause injuries in case the students were surprised and slipped in their elaborate kung fu moves. Taking in the scene, he saw Shifu nodding in approval as Tigress demonstrated her apparently new moves with a sword…and it was not just any sword. It was a peach blossom sword, made to bring luck and subdue evil spirits. It was an honorable weapon and would be good for fighting at close range. Tigress had practiced these moves for days, and all day, basically. She tried to please her master whenever possible, and his gaze of approval meant more to her than most things. Flashing the blade with fluid grace, she intercepted the withdrawing of her sword to use a powerful move of a punch, kick, or flip, that would make offense or defense easy to perform. The rest of the Furious Five, accustomed to seeing her kung fu mastery, watched politely, while Po was surreptitiously ogling her. She wasn't sure about her feelings for the Dragon Warrior. She was pretty sure that she liked him…even more than a friend, but although he was goofy and stupid at times…he was still the Dragon Warrior, and falling in love with him couldn't be right, she thought. It would be like falling in love with her master and would produce consequences and possible heartbreak. Her duties to kung fu might be compromised and her skill as a warrior might be weakened if she was paying more attention to him and rescuing him from situations than her kung fu. She had thought she was falling in love with Master Shifu when she was a hormonal teenager, but had realized he was older than her, years older. She had been 16 and he was around 37. It would not have been proper to fall in love with him, especially when he had rejected the role of father and committed himself as a master and teacher. Although he was distant from her, she thought of him as her father, and that made Shirong her grandfather and part of the family too. What motives could he have for visiting?

"Shirong?" Shifu had been watching Tigress, whom he thought of as a daughter though he didn't often reveal it on account of his mistakes with Tai Lung, , but at the sound of his footsteps had turned to look at his father with surprise. What was he doing here? He had better feelings towards his father. Shirong was a conman and a thief, but he had shown his loyalty to the right thing when he came back, finally coming back, for Shifu. He had saved him from Tong Fo and although he may have been freed by Tigress and Po or battled his way out anyways, it was good to know his father loved him.

"Son," the elderly red panda smiled and bowed to him, before coming forwards for a hug. Despite the fact that he loved his father more than he had before, Shifu did not hug him for a couple reasons. One, he didn't want anything stolen from him again. The second was he simply did not like hugs. He did not see the point of nor enjoy physical contact unless he was fighting.

"It is good to see you again," Shifu bowed back to his father, although the unspoken question still hung in the air. Why had he returned? His father had never come to visit him with no reason behind it and although he trusted him, he still wanted to know.

"Sweet, you're back! Did you come to see Shifu? He's doing alright. I think. I dunno. Did he make that grumpy face when he was little? Can you do it too?" Po immediately began the conversation with a flurry of questions. He asked a lot of questions as part of his nature. He knew he was childish most of the time, but he didn't entirely care. He knew that Master Shifu would put up with him and his many, many mistakes. He did not have many faults, but he was too trusting, got into trouble, and annoyed people. His master put up with most of his faults because he said despite his foolishness, he had a good heart and that would never let them down.

"Calm down Po," Monkey laughed, putting a hand on his best buddy's back. He liked the panda because they were much the same, in being foolish and childish at times. They had enjoyed many a great prank together, and of course, most of them were on Po. In a way, he could understand why Shirong was a conman, but even when Monkey had been younger, he had not done such harsh tricks on people. Was he here to trick Shifu again?

"Yeah, dude. Seriously, it's embarrassing," Mantis added, perched on top of Monkey's shoulder. His size used to bother him sometimes, but being a kung fu warrior and training under Master Shifu had made him stronger and a better fighter. He had looked up to the red panda, for he was small, not as small as him, but he held power and radiated confidence and mastery of kung fu. His father was not as accomplished in that aspect, but he was a kung fu warrior who could hold his own in a fight. Was he running from one of his enemies again? Mantis had certainly had lots of those.

Viper gave a soft hiss at Mantis. She could see why the panda annoyed some of the rest of the Furious Five but for some reason he did not annoy her nearly as much. She felt sympathy for him, and knew what it was like being different. As a girl, she was not expected to be a kung fu warrior, and while Tigress had her, well, tiger-ness to back her up, Viper did not have venom and could not get people to take her as seriously as one of the Furious Five. She wondered a little about Shirong's past and whether he had been one of the Furious Five. Was he here to learn more about kung fu?

"So why are you here?" Crane asked the question that they practically had all been thinking.

Shirong cast a glance that wandered over them all, before replying, "Shifu and I have absopositively not been on speaking terms for may years. I finally have somewhat remade-up myself for this error in judgement and I want to have some father and son time together…"

"Shirong," Crane interrupted.

The old red panda was chattering somewhat nervously now, "…After all the Furious Five, have had some very many years to know him and Po, the extraordimazing Dragon Warrior has had a closer bond…"

"Shirong," Crane tried to butt in.

"…To him than I ever had. I have not redeemed myself of a life of crime, nor have I halted in my unworthibunctous behavior, but I also wish to train in the ama-"

"Shirong!" Shifu suddenly exclaimed, causing the red panda to halt in his words.

"What?" He felt a tiny sense of fear. Years of conning had mainly quelled it, but he worried that his son, the Dragon Warrior, and the Furious Five did not trust him still.

"Please…stop making up those words," his son sighed, rubbing his temples. He got upset quite often it seemed, and Shirong assumed that his son sometimes suffered slight headaches, especially around people who were annoying him.

"I will try my best," he sighed. It was a bad habit of his that worked when he was conning people, but not so much when he was trying to keep people from being annoyed. Tricking people by flustering them with long words was fun and he only had to make them up and the others could not refute them, since it would look silly and they would have to admit not knowing the word that might in fact exist.

"Thank you," Shifu sighed, then added carefully, "How long do you wish to stay?"

"As long as you will have me," Shirong answered quietly. He was not sure how long he expected to stay, but maybe forever. That was at least a somewhat remote possibility. Then, after a pause, he decided to tell him the other reason for his visit. He had been trying not to think about it, as he wanted to stay long enough to get to know his son's students who were closer to Shifu than his own family. "There is one other thing…" he sighed.

For the first time, Shifu looked surprised while Tigress distinctly did not. "And what might that be?" she arched an eyebrow.

"Well, I have been wandering and there appears to be trouble in the Wudan Mountains. I have not heard much else on the subject matter, but it would appear that the people of the mountain villages are in trouble," Shirong told her, addressing her as the notable leader of the Furious Five.

"Heh heh. That sounds like a special mission for... The Stupefying Six!" Po exclaimed, making a few fist motions while The Furious Five stared at him with disbelief. Shirong glanced at his son for a hint. He didn't twitch an ear. He was obviously used to the panda and his overappreciation for being the Dragon Warrior.

"What…on earth are you talking about?" Mantis finally said in a disregarding tome.

"Well, you know. The Furious Five plus the Dragon Warrior. The Stupefying Six!" he repeated with an idiotically happy grin.

"No, not the Stupefying Six. You will be needed here, Dragon Warrior. Tigress, I trust you and the rest of the Furious Five will handle the situation," Shifu told his students.

"Yes, Master," she bowed quickly to him before racing off with the others following. Po cats a wistful glance back at Tigress, but he must have been used to not getting to do all of his Dragon Warrior duties beside the Furious Five, for he only sighed and assumed a slightly pouty look.

""What should I do Shifu?" Po asked and Shirong wondered at the fact that his son had seemed so cold when he had met him after so many years, but let the panda continue his idiosyncrasies and forget respect.

"Well, the day is still young. You might as well continue practicing the butterfly kick," the red panda told him. Ah. Shirong remembered so long ago, learning the butterfly kick. It had been a hard move to master and he had only learned it after developing both his balance and strength a lot more. Of course, it hadn't been hard, seeing as though Master Oogway had been a sweet monk, he had been a strict teacher too.

"Can you show it to me again?" the panda asked and Shifu gave him a slightly withering look, before, with a few arm motions to propel his weight, flipped himself up into the air with a spinning kick that would have caused his enemy a severe blow. Landing perfectly on his feet, he sighed.

"Surely you have learnt it by now?" he asked. Shirong was surprised that Shifu was making him learn the move so quickly, but then again, Po was a fast learner and he did not know how long the panda had known he was supposed to practice it.

"I don't know how you can do it both balanced and getting in a strong kick," the panda protested, trying it once again, but as he came closer to earth again, could only use a small kick before trying to regain his balance.

Shirong gave Shifu a glance, trying to ask if he could give the ailing panda a hint. He gave a small nod and the old red panda stepped forward. "You must learn to believe. If you trust in yourself, you can leap to any height of enemy, do the butterfly kick, and land with your instincts. Sometimes it is better not to think," he smiled. He supposed he sounded a little bit like Master Oogway, but he hoped that the help he had dispensed was a little more helpful and easier to understand.

"Thanks, I'll try that," the panda bowed with a grateful smile, and ambled off to find a place to practice. As he watched the Dragon Warrior leave, he looked at his son and wondered what to say. There had been plenty to talk about before he had left Shifu at the Jade Palace, but know, upon reflection he realized that it had mostly pertained to his unsavory work. Presently, they had missed so much time between seeing each other that there was both everything and nothing to talk about. Shirong glanced at the door once, as if expecting something before beckoning Shifu.

"Do you want to spar?" he asked. He didn't think Shifu even wanted to talk, seeing how even as a youth, he had been particularly quiet.

"I don't know if that's wise," Shifu doubtfully said and Shirong twitched an ear in surprise. He had seen that his son had completely devoted himself to kung fu and it was odd that he would refuse a fight. Shifu must have seen something in his confused glance because he sighed again. "I just don't want to hurt you," he admitted. The old red panda laughed.

"I think I'm tougher than that," he added.

"I suppose you're right," the other red panda appeared slightly more warmed towards him, and shifted into a battle stance. Shirong knew his son had more experience, but he could definitely beat him at strategy. Anyways, it was just part of having fun, he supposed. What could happen?

Lunging forward, Shifu began to exchange quick punches and kicks with Shirong, to warm up toe fight and sense his opponent's style of fighting, before aiming a roundhouse kick at him. Leaning backwards to avoid it, he tried to use one arm to trip the older red panda, but he did another flip in the air to gain higher ground. Shifu landed and leapt to give the spinning ball of fur a quick kick. Shirong was thrust through the air, before straightening and landing sideways on one of the trees. The younger red panda swiftly leapt to the tree as well and they began fighting, almost against gravity, as their steps brought them closer to the ground. Suddenly, Shifu being lower on the tree and closer to the ground, did a tomanagi throw, which was holding onto Shirong's robe and rolling back down the tree to send the father flying. He leapt into the air as Shirong regained his feet and Po came running out from around the training hall.

"I did it!" he exclaimed.


	3. Chapter 2:Sly as a Fox

For one of the first times, Po realized he had actually distracted his master. Pausing in mid attack mode, he had cast a glance at Po right as Shirong had aimed to do the Butterfly Kick, what they had just learned how to do. The panda tried to dash forward to intercede, but not before the older red panda had dealt out a strong kick that connected with his master's shoulder. There was a slight noise that made everyone wince and Po gasped and stared as his master let out e yelp of pain and rolled across the ground from the impact. When he managed to sit up, he was gripping his arm with pain and panting.

Shirong was frozen for a moment. This wasn't supposed to happen! He had hurt his son…He went forward to see if his son was okay, but his ear flicked and he noticed snow leopards and a fox approaching from out of the palace itself. He was not surprised however. It was as he had planned, even if they had come a little earlier than he had expected. Well…at least Shifu might be happy with the visitors he had brought him. They had seemed like decent people even if somewhat creepy.

"Well…this has certainly gone better than I planned," the little fox sneered at Shifu and Shirong felt a cold shiver of dislike. What was wrong with him? Couldn't he see his friend was injured?

"Junjie, what are you doing here?" Po snapped, glaring at him. Shirong flicked an ear with irritation and realized that the panda must not like the newcomers either. Shifu certainly must have had quite a fall out with this friend.

"He just came here to make amends with Shifu. I know they had a disagreement, but," Shirong babbled a little, trying to keep the hostility in the air from turning into a full fight. Everyone except him was glaring at each other and he did not want this reunion to turn into an all-out fist fight.

"Wait. **You** let him in here!" Shifu growled at him and Shirong turned to his son in surprise.

"I showed him in through the secret escape route. Otherwise, you wouldn't have accepted his apology…" Shirong continued and faltered, seeing fury flicker through his son's icy blue eyes.

"Junjie! Leave now," the red panda growled.

"Oh, I think this has gone on long enough. I conned **you** this time, Shirong. We never had a fight. I should have been the true master of the Jade Palace and now I will. Attack!" Junjie hissed. The five snow leopards who had been arrayed behind him did just that. Po was set on by three of them, while two went for Shirong and Junjie lunged for Shifu. Too late, Shirong realized that he had indeed been conned.

Earlier, he had conned the fox, or Junjie as he was called, into buying strength potions. Of course, they had not really worked and in fact, ended up making him violently ill, and he had tracked the red panda down. Instead of punishing him or taking revenge, he had asked him if he knew Shifu. When he said yes, the fox had told him that he and Shifu had been friends for a long time, but had had a disagreement. Junjie wanted to apologize, but Shifu had not banished him from the Jade Palace and so he was not able to enter. Shirong had told him of the secret way in, but it turned out that he shouldn't have. The fox had clearly lied to him and he was right. Shirong had yet again, been conned himself. His mind coming back to the fight, he glared at those who had tricked him and his notched ear flicked.

Leaping to bounce off a tree, Shirong flipped over the heads of the snow leopards as Po punched at one of the snow leopards, before using a leg sweep to knock him over. Gripping him by the tail, the panda swung him at the other snow leopards, sending them sprawling and giving them a few spare moments to help Shifu. The red panda was holding his robe by his right hand, and only fighting with his left, seeing as Shirong had injured his shoulder.

"Junjie, you will never rule the Jade Palace. Surely you've realized this after failing so many times," Shifu growled, Their fight was so fast, Po looked uncertain as how to break it up and Shirong was weary of hitting his son again. Junjie was inexperienced and his anger made him more liable to mistakes, but he was also younger and although Shifu was trying not to show it too much, he was hurt. However, even without the use of his right arm, Shifu was defending himself from Junjie's quick and furious strikes with dodges and blocks that were so quick, Shirong was wearily impressed of his son's skill. Suddenly, he gasped as he felt a furry arm wrap around his throat and he struggled for breath as he was lifted off the floor. Po, he noticed out of the corners of his eyes and his blurry vision, was being set upon by the other four all at once. He elbowed his attacker sharply in the diaphragm, but the furry arm only constricted further.

"Leave him alone! Your fight is with me," Shifu snarled, lashing out at Junjie's face and sending his glasses flying. Leaping into the air, he sailed forward into a kick that took out the snow leopard who had been throttling Shirong. With that one unconscious and Junjie wearily finding his glasses, they began attacking the snow leopards who were battling Po. Using the one arm shoulder throw, Shirong sent one of the leopards flying. Whipping around, the other three wearily watched them. The panda whirled around and did a leaping splits to catch the other two. Unsurprised, they both lunged forwards to pin him to the ground while the third leaped into the air to slam down on him. Shifu leapt at him, only to be shoulder slammed by Junjie. The red panda rolled on the ground with a grunt of pain and tried to leap to his feet before Junjie crashed into him again, pinning him to the ground. Shirong tried to keep track of both the warriors' fights, but he felt a sudden sharp pinch near his neck and in his fading sight, he saw the snow leopard who had been unconscious, grin before he went down.

"Shirong!" Po yelped before, one of the snow leopard hit him in the face with full force, knocking him back, clutching his nose.

Shifu turned and glanced at his father's still form before aggressively letting out a flurry of attacks on the fox. Junjie grinned, and suddenly flitted around him and tripped him. In a stagger, he managed to regain his balance just as Junjie let out a mighty punch to his shoulder. Agony shot through his arm and he hissed in pain, before tumbling backwards. The fox continued to advance, and in his pain, Shifu could not defend himself from the furious attacks that rained down on him. Dancing around Junjie, he avoided some of the fox's attacks and getting in solid blows of his own, but Junjie kept hammering at his shoulder and he was weakening quickly. The panda was not doing much better. With the odds at four to one, and the panda trying to keep an eye on him as well, he was being beaten around by the snow leopards. They worked around him as a team, until one of them slashed his claws almost right across the panda's face. Po suddenly leapt into the air, and with one fist, drove it into the ground, sending a wave of energy that sent everyone flying. The snow leopard

hit the walls and bounced off dazed, while Junjie flipped through the air and bounced off a pillar before landing on his feet and rushing the panda. Shifu landed hard on the ground and although winded, pushed himself up with his good arm and chased after the fox. Junjie turned his head but only got a surprised look before the red panda bowled him over and pinned him to the ground.

"I am master of the Jade Palace, Junjie! Get over it," he hissed. Meanwhile, the snow leopards he recovered and were surrounding them again.

Shirong hazily opened his eyes, a sting coursing through his neck where his nerves had been tampered with, but he got to his feet and watched the fight wearily.

"I tire of this," Junjie's hand went to the inside of his sleeve casually, but then suddenly whipped out with a knife. The others pulled knives as well from hidden places in their belts and Shirong stared in horror. This was not an honorable fight. They had weapons and the odds were six to three. Giving his son a frantic look, he quickly dashed off.

Shifu glimpsed his father in flight, before dodging the knife that Junjie swung at him. They parried each other, Shifu blocking the fox's blows by using elbow blocks and his hand to stop him, but he was tiring and he could not be fast enough with his good arm to land in any offense attacks. His father was fleeing for good reason, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed that he had been tricked again. Po was busy trying to defend himself from five snow leopards with their weapons, and was slowly being driven out the door and towards the edge of the mountain. Junjie snapped his knife towards Shifu's throat, but he suddenly did the unexpected. He had not become one of the best masters of the Jade Palace for nothing. Junjie had clearly been led to thinking he would win. Now, he could step up the game a bit. Stopping the knife in his teeth, he let out a mighty punch that sent the fox flying with a bark of pain. Po slipped over the edge and one of the snow leopards was reaching out foot to step on his hand. With a furious roundhouse kick, Shifu him flying off the mountain. The other four attacked him as Po managed to pull himself back up.

"Hiya!" Shifu whipped around at the sound and saw a throwing knife fly past him, hilt first, and knock another snow leopard from the mountain. It had been carefully aimed and had hit the feline's skull. The other three tried to rush Shirong, and he felt a gleam of pride as he saw Po and Shifu realize that he had not ran away, but made the fight more fair. Shifu lunged forward and with a slide, tripped the attackers. Po, meanwhile, had leaped into the air and timed it right so he crashed forwards on top of their backs, squashing the breath out of them. Junjie, nose bleeding, glanced frantically from one warrior to the next, growling. He was clearly undecided of whether to flee of fight. But Shifu wanted to fight the fox. He had caused so much trouble over his power obsession. Shirong seemed to catch the look in Shifu's eyes and threw a knife that pinned the fox's pants to the ground. Leaping forward, Shifu snatched the knife and pinned the fox quickly, the knife pressing against his throat.

"If you value your life, you will not return," Shifu snarled. He had given his so-called friend so many chances. Now, he would not be so hasty. Junjie growled back, but fear flashed in his eyes as the red panda lightly pressed on the knife, making a crease in his fur.

"Fine," he snapped. Shifu stood up and glared at him. The fox glared back before backing off, his eyes flickering towards his snow leopard warriors. Then, he stepped off the edge. Everyone stared with surprise and Shifu hurried to the edge. He remembered his past with Junjie and the fox certainly did not need to die for his mistakes.

When Shifu had been in his late adolescent age, after Taotie had betrayed them and turned evil, he had been a lot more distanced from the kung fu trainees that entered. He still trained with the old Furious Five, but also spent his time training the new kids who came to learn kung fu. He had always been a good teacher, if not compassionate, direct and honest. When Chao and Junjie had become the longest-staying students of the Jade Palace, he had eventually formed friendly bonds with them. Soon, though, Junjie who had been long friends with Chao grew jealous as he saw they were becoming friends. Angry at both Chao and Shifu, he had taken to practicing outside of their normal times and insisting on Master Oogway that he learn more of the chi moves. He had always been good at those, and they were especially powerful and difficult moves. Shifu, being an older and more experienced student, had become a master along with the rest of the Furious Five. Unlike the others though, the red panda was chosen to continue training at the Jade Palace and eventually become the next leader of the Jade Palace. Master Oogway had chosen him in a similar way to how he was to choose the Dragon Warrior. Much of it was a mystery.

It was not long after, when Fenghuan made her stand, wanting to rule the Valley of Peace. Her attack had left Master Oogway and his students both injured and in shock. Junjie took that time to make his move. He first asked Master Oogway that he be allowed to rule the Jade Palace, making his argument on his behalf. When the old tortoise had refused, Junjie had become angry that his hopes were once again dashed. He was a very ambitious fox and when they had all gathered for training, he had done the Golden Lotus Clap. With the others blinded from the unexpected chi attack, Junjie had attacked Shifu. Although he was blinded, the red panda had known Junjie for a long time and was much more experienced in fighting. He had beaten the fox that time, by visually impairing him not with the Golden Lotus Clap, which he did not know, but with one of his short claws to Junjie's eye. In the end, he won and Master Oogway restored everyone's sight. Except Junjie. His eye wound could not be repaired and the scratch marred his vision so he needed glasses.

The fox had professed his guilt and apologies numerous times, and although Master Oogway seemed to accept it and send Junjie to be lead by Chao at the Shaolin temples, Shifu had seen that he would clearly not accept it. So had Chao, but they had accepted it. Although the fox had betrayed them, Shifu still felt bad that he had nearly blinded his friend.

So now, he peered over the edge, hoping that he might see Junjie alive and hanging onto the cliff. The others hurried to his side, but they did not see the fox. When they turned around, the snow leopards were gone too.

"I am sorry for what I have allowed into the Jade Palace," Shirong sighed, head slightly bowed in shame. Although he was a conman, maybe he was becoming too trustful in his old age.

"Nonsense, you wouldn't have known," Shifu shook his head sadly.

"So…where'd they go?" Po wondered aloud. The snow leopards certainly hadn't died, although they had been defeated. Junjie might have escaped, but how? And how could they tell anyways? Maybe they would never know…or he would come back and surprise them in the end.

"Viper, Crane, come with me. If he fell, his body might be at the bottom of the mountain," Tigress ordered and they nodded, glanced at Shifu for permission, and when he nodded curtly, they raced off. Shirong felt sick as he wondered what the body would look like if the fox had fallen all the way to the village below. He certainly did not want to see. The old red panda had thought about giving up his life as a conman, but without that, how else would he live?

"It is time for me to take my leave of you. I have done enough as it is," Shirong told them.

"You don't have to go. He can stay here, right?" Po asked Shifu, looking hopeful. Then he added, "I know Tigress would want him to stay."

"You have always done as you thought was right, but if you wish to leave, that is your decision," Shifu told him, and Shirong wondered at his son. He could sometimes seem so cold and hardcore, but could also be the most loyal of friends and very courteous.

"Well, I could stay a little longer if you would have me. I do want to catch up with you and get to know your students better," he smiled a little shyly for once.

"Of course," Shifu accepted and they both smiled. Po looked between the two and grinned.

Suddenly, Tigress came bounding up the stairs, followed in pursuit by Viper and Crane. Monkey and Mantis had been peering over the edge of the mountain, trying to see what was happening, but now turned around as they returned with grim faces.

"He isn't there," Tigress growled anxiously. She was not afraid of Junjie, but she was afraid for her friends and she would stick by them whatever happened. Po looked worried too, she noticed and Shifu sighed while Shirong looked petrified.

"He is probably alive then. And considering how many times he has tried to reclaim the Jade Palace, I would not be surprised if he were to return," the red panda admitted.

"Surely we could track him down and send him back to prison?" Shirong asked, but Shifu shook his head.

"No, whatever happens, as long as kung fu exists, there will always be evil," he murmured.

"But as long as kung fu exists, we will be here…to make sure that is still lives," Po added brightly.


End file.
